Sweet Summer Sun Music Festival, Thursday July 6 in Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens. An event unprecedented in Greek history, full of sounds
Sweet Summer Sun Music Festival, Thursday July 6 in Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens. An event unprecedented in Greek history, full of sounds and dynamics, with leading musicians and bands from all over the world
The super group The Aristocrats, the virtuosos Take Off Collective and the power trio of the Greek jazz scene NUKeLEUS participate, in a precious mixture of jazz, blues and funk with flavors of rock, modern classical music, even… metal. Soulstice opens the program with their heady, old-fashioned, rhythmic and polyphonic jazz-swing. On this summer night, musical boundaries fall and all stunts are allowed!
Driving force of the people of Main Event Productions, their love for music. A “capsule” and a burning passion in the first year of the Sweet Summer Sun Music Festival.
In the background
Many hours of discussions with an experienced music man in Greece gave birth to the idea, quickly overcoming any organizational qualms. The experience of large concert events abroad, the organization of large concerts with perfect sound, lighting and stage coordination brought to the fore an artistic event that intends to amaze the audience. The aim of the organizers is to create and consolidate a wider concert event that will ideally showcase world creative music in Greece. In view of the effects of corresponding live events that, instead of causing joy, disappointed the audience, but also the participating artists, Main Event Productions’ aim is to ensure the appearance of leading musicians of the international jazz scene in our country, with the simultaneous participation of distinguished or emerging Greek musical performers.
In the foreground
A journey to various jazz destinations and at the same time origins of the shapes: America, Norway, Germany, Serbia and Greece. The passion for music, the desire to establish an event of this dynamic – and all that entails – drives the group of initiators and creators of the Sweet Summer Sun Music Festival. It’s worth getting a taste of what each of the bands taking part in the event represents.
The Aristocrats
They were formed – as if by a bet – in 2011 at the Anaheim NAMM Show in California with the aim of presenting a musical program that would highlight the range of their instrumental abilities in many different genres of music. After that concert was over, the three masterful musicians realized that they had already created a super group, which would be a shame not to continue its course.
The Aristocrats were born from three great virtuosos, first of all guitarist Guthrie Govan, undoubtedly one of the most talked about musicians in the world today. For five years Guthrie Govan was a member of the multi-platinum Asia. He has also participated in the GPS project, as well as in formations such as Young Punx or Fellowship, having set new standards in how the electric guitar is played today. Featuring drummer Marco Minnemann, who has worked with, among others, Steve Wilson, Joe Satriani and Steve Hackett, and bassist Brian Beller, also a collaborator with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Steve Hackett, the Aristocrats are a musical trio which masterfully mixes many musical styles: jazz, of course, but also funk, with many rock dynamics and metal passages. An explosive, rocking mix that brings together Frank Zappa with Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane with Chick Corea’s Electric Band. The Aristocrats in every appearance create a sound phantasm on the stage. Their influence is evident from the jazz-rock fusion of Return to Forever, from the Mahavishnu Orchestra or King Crimson, but also from the guitar heroes Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.
Since 2011, when they recorded their debut album, until today they have played dozens of festivals and stages around the world. So far they have recorded three live albums, which highlights their strong and imposing presence on stage. And now, with a lot of “wind in their sails”, the Aristocrats are also coming to Greece as headliners of the Sweet Summer Sun Music Festival, as part of their own Defrost Tour, which takes them from North America and Europe to Asia!
Take Off Collective
Three real virtuosos, the American bassist Matthew Garrison, the great Serbian drummer Marko Djordjevic and the Norwegian saxophonist Ole Mathisen, aka Take Off Collective, are the second foreign participation in this year’s Sweet Summer Sun Music Festival.
The legendary Matt Garrison has to his credit a rich recording presence and very important collaborations with artists, such as Herbie Hancock, John Mclaughlin, Joe Zawinul, John Scofield, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Paul Simon, Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, etc. . Music runs in Matt’s blood as his father Jimmy was the bassist for the legendary John Coltrane Quartet.
Serbian-born drummer Marko Djordjevic is considered one of the world’s leading drummers. Professor at the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston and creator of the musical group Sveti, he has collaborated with big names, such as Lionel Loueke, Wayne Krantz, Lucky Peterson, Garry Willis, Eric Lewis, Janek Gwizdala, etc.
The third member of the Take Off Collective is the saxophonist and composer Ole Mathisen, who has the same record and concert experience as the other members, as well as parchments in teaching jazz at major American universities, while his compositions have won important prizes in international competitions.
Take Off Collective unites the different musical references of its members in a concert of three friends who have been exploring the paths of sound for 30 years, since they met as students at Berklee in the early 90s and decided to join forces their. Their evolution was – and remains – explosive!
NUCLEAR
The great American saxophonist Graig Bailey has said about the NUKeLEUS trio that it is the strongest rhythm section he has played with in Europe. In reality, however, pianist Sami Amiri, the “Rambo” drummer of the Greek jazz scene Giannis Stavropoulos and the double bassist Periklis Trivolis with his robust sound are more than an excellent rhythm section.
Since 2006 when the NUKeLEUS trio was created, it has participated in many music festivals in Greece or abroad. His repertoire includes Chopin’s prelude No. 20, an arrangement by… Karagiozis, “A sitting eagle” in an unexpected crossover with the legendary “All blues” of Miles Davis or a composition in the rhythm of salsa. A repertoire – almost unorthodox – that highlights the possibilities of a piano trio outside and beyond the usual. The great technical training and deep musical education of its three members allows them to dive beyond rhythm and melody, creating a demanding, essential, technical music that flirts with the modern classical tradition, tapping into jazz improvisation.
A milestone in the musical life of the incredible expressive and technical pianist Sami Amiri is his long-term collaboration with Yiannis Stavropoulos, which together with the catalytic rhythmic presence of the bass strings of Pericles Trivolis unleash the powerful chemistry of the power jazz trio NUKeLEUS that is captured in his double CD entitled “Masterpieces revisited”. Drummer Yiannis Stavropoulos collaborated with very important names on the international scene, such as the great American saxophonist Jim Odgren, his creative British colleague Andy Sheppard or the artistic director of Ray Charles’ orchestra, Craig Bailey. He also collaborated with elites of the domestic scene: saxophonists Takis Patereli, David Lynch, Antonis Ladopoulos and Dimitris Vasilakis, pianists Giorgos Kontrafouris, Vassilis Tsapropoulos and Pantelis Benetato or electric bassist Giorgos Fakanas. With the latter two he recorded the album “Stand Art”, full of their dynamic interpretations of well-known jazz standards.
Today the NUKeLEUS trio is in the process of recording a new audiovisual performance of their repertoire, while planning their next recording projects.
Soulstice
With their heady, old-fashioned, rhythmic and polyphonic jazz-swing, Soulstice combines pop and rock music hits with rhythmic vintage swing, creating imaginative jazzy arrangements of many well-known hits, with sounds-memories from the unforgettable era of the Andrews Sisters and the carefree dancefloors of the interwar era. The four female voices that surround the experienced musicians create a unique atmosphere and lift the audience up at every appearance of the band. These are Margarita Papadimitriou, Antonia Despoulis, Anna Tarba and Emilia Tsimidakis. They will be joined on stage by Stamatis Stamatakis with his double bass, Seraphim Bellos on drums, Angelos Tsourelis on piano, Kostas Karagiannis on saxophone and Giorgos Zareas on trombone. The ideal introduction to an unforgettable night!
Info
Sweet Summer Sun Music Festival
Technopolis, Thursday July 6, 2023
Start time: 18:45 pm
Text editing: Maro Kavalierou
